


fabian comes out

by tusktooth



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Bisexuality, Coming Out, Fights, Hell, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24956743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tusktooth/pseuds/tusktooth
Summary: Fabian comes out to his dad. It's about as chaotic as you'd expect.
Relationships: Bill Seacaster & Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster
Comments: 11
Kudos: 201





	fabian comes out

**Author's Note:**

> oh boy does fantasy high take up all my brainspace damn anyway this is pretty self-indulgent but it's also fun so!  
> [find me on tumblr](http://adaine.tumblr.com/)

It all starts at lunch, really. Fabian is sitting with the other Bad Kids and eating the excellent meal that Cathilda sent to him while he mostly gazes at Riz because they’re  _ boyfriends _ now and it’s all kind of surreal. While he chose not to admit it to anyone, especially not Fig, he had been pining over him for a while and now, to actually be able to look at him unashamedly and kiss him sometimes, it was simply fantastic.

And then Fig says something that he barely catches because he’s so distracted. “Ugh. I have to go back to Hell this weekend to settle some business down in the pit.”

Fabian’s head whips around at that. “Can I join you?”

She cocks an eyebrow. “Do you want to? It’s just going to be another weekend of strategically rebelling against the bureaucracy of Hell.”

“I actually have some business of my own to attend to there,” he informs her, straightening out his jacket in a show of faux confidence.

“Don’t we have bloodrush practice,” Gorgug pipes in, which is valid because it’s something Fabian failed to consider entirely.

“Cancel it,” he replied. “I must go to Hell with Fig this weekend. Who knows when else I’ll get the chance?”

“The first Tuesday of every month,” she replies. “So in about two weeks but you’d have to skip school.”

“And miss bloodrush anyway!” he exclaimed. “So, it’s settled. I will be joining Fig on her trip to Hell this weekend.”

“You still haven’t told me why, but it’s fine by me,” she says with a shrug. “Wretchrot has been looking for somebody who’ll dance with him and you’re definitely the man for the job.”

Since everything seems settled, he returns to his lunch and goes to fix his gaze on Riz again, only to find him looking at him with raised eyebrows.

_ Hell? _ he mouths, along with a bunch of other things that Fabian can’t quite make out because Riz talks entirely too quickly and he can’t read lips as it is.

_ I don’t know what you are saying _ , he mouths back.

_ What? _ Riz replies, followed by more nonsense.

_ What? _ Fabian echoes.

“Nine hells, Fabian  _ please _ invest in the message cantrip I simply can’t watch this anymore,” Adaine says.

“You could go out in the hallway if you don’t want us to hear,” Gorgug suggests.

“Or just, you know,  _ tell us _ ,” Kristen adds.

Riz looks between them and Fabian, who must less good at hiding his distress as he thought he was because he hops off the table and grabs his hand before leading him out into the hallway.

“I asked if you were going to go talk to your dad,” Riz says once they’re alone. “Are you going to tell him about us?”

Fabian nods. “He’s my Papa and I’d like him to know the truth about who I am, even if it means I have to go down to the Bottomless Pit and summon him myself.”

“And you’re nervous,” he infers.

He stands a bit taller. “I’m not nervous. I’m Fabian Seacaster: fighter, bard, and captain of the Aguefort Owlbears!”

Riz raises an eyebrow. “You are all of those things  _ and _ you’re nervous. You’re a person, Fabian. It’s normal.”

“It’s just that Mama took it so well and I want him to be happy for me as well,” he tells him. “I know I’m my own man and I certainly take pride in the person that I am, it’s just that…”

He trails off at the end, but Riz, the tiny genius that he is, is able to pick up the trail. “He’s your dad.”

Fabian nods. “And I know that it’ll be more difficult the longer that I put this off probably. Is it terrible that I’m jealous of Fig and Kristen? They both always knew where they’d stand with their parents. Even if Kristen always knew her parents would be terrible about it, there’s still that certainty.”

“If you ask Kristen about it, she’ll tell you that it wasn’t easy,” he replies. “I don’t even need to ask her to know that much. She struggled with it a lot freshman year. I’d even go so far as to say that it wasn’t that simple for Fig either, seeing as she was king of cagey about Ayda in the beginning. There’s never any certainty with coming out. Do you think it was easy for me to explain what demisexuality was to my mom? Because she honestly had no idea it existed until I told her about it. She was accepting, of course, but it wasn’t  _ easy _ .”

“Are you trying to make me feel better or talk me out of coming out to Papa?” he asks.

Riz sighs and grabs his hands. “I’m saying that there’s nothing ridiculous about being nervous. You should still do it, though, because otherwise, you’ll never stop being nervous about it. And, if you want me to, I can be right there with you.”

He shakes his head. “You can’t. If my father is somehow upset by this, he won’t hurt me, but he will not hesitate to kill you. You saw him shoot Gilear.”

“I can take a hit. I’m not Gilear,” Riz reminds him.

“Thank the gods for  _ that _ ,” he replies. “But I think it’ll be fine. I can always take Fig with me for some bardic inspiration.”

“You’ll be fine?” he asks just to be sure.

Fabian nods resolutely. “I’ll be fine. It’s just another trip to Hell. What’s the worse that could happen.”

Riz grabs Fabian’s jacket and yanks him down for a quick kiss. “I sure hope that you didn’t just curse yourself.”

* * *

Fig says that they’re leaving early Saturday morning which, by her standards, means before noon. She is a firm believer that getting up before 10 on a weekend is a crime and he’s not one to argue with that, given that it gives him some extra time to be sure everything is sorted in case they get caught in some sort of combat even though Fig has assured him that she’s only gotten in one fight down there since they all went together and that it was a big misunderstanding. Apparently she and that pit fiend are quite close friends now, which is a bit alarming in itself.

Still, they are walking through a portal by about 11, so overall it’s a pretty early start for a trip with Fig. She leads him down to the pit to chill while she heads off to get everything settled and, with Wretchrot’s assistance, he calls upon his father. He has no idea when the call will be answered as his father could be pretty much anywhere in the Nine Hells. Fabian can only hope that news reaches him before they must leave again.

And then he spends most of the day dancing with Wretchrot, who truly is an amazing dancer, because he needs to get his mind off the conversation he seeks to have with his father and it’s a fun way to pass the time.

Fig returns at the end of the day with a smug look on her face. “I’m the best fucking archdevil in the world. We can go back now. Shit is sorted.”

His eyes widen in alarm. “Now? I thought we were going to be staying for the weekend.”

“Are you even listening, Fabian? I’m the fucking best and I got it all figured out early.”

“Mistress!” Wretchrot exclaims in his shrill voice. “You truly are the best and I’m very happy for your return but Fabian has called upon his father and he has yet to arrive.”

“Oh,” she says with wide eyes. “I didn’t realize that you were trying to hang out with your dad. I thought you just needed a break from Elmville.”

He shrugs. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a chance to speak with Papa.”

Her eyes widen further. “You’re going to tell him about you and Riz.”

“Is that a bad idea?” he asks.

“Only not to tell me first!” she exclaims, a devilish grin spreading across her face. “We should have invited Gorgug, made it a big ol’ bi field trip.”

“Gorgug isn’t bi,” he replies.

“Fabian, he fully kissed Ragh on the lips during prom when we were freshmen,” she reminds him. “He’s with Zelda, but the dude’s still bi.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to speculate about his sexuality,” he tells her.

Fig slaps him on the arm. “Gorgug is a chatty drunk. We’ve talked about it numerous times. I’m just surprised that you don’t know.”

They decide to stay until the following afternoon and Fig invites him to stay longer if he wants but he really can’t miss school and, well, he mostly just can’t miss more bloodrush practice. He was the captain and missing one Saturday practice was bad enough, he couldn’t abandon his Owlbears again.

When Fig is about to leave to go to bed he stops her. “Was it hard for you?”

“Was what hard for me?” she asks him, an eyebrow raised.

“Telling the parents the truth about yourself,” he clarifies.

She sits back down. “The thing is, Fabian, I never really got a chance to. Everyone just found out. Which was perfectly fine because it meant that I didn’t have to tell people. I understand that a lot of people prefer to come out on their own terms but, for me, I’ve always felt that it’s such an integral but personal part of who I am and never felt the need to actually tell anyone that I was bi. If I was important to them, they’d figure it out.”

“So you never came out to Gorthalax?” he asks.

She shakes her head. “I told him I was seeing Ayda, I guess, but it was never like a  _ thing _ .”

“I wish it were that easy for me,” he says with a sigh.

“I’m sorry that it’s difficult for you,” she tells him. “But I think it’ll turn out okay. Your dad is kind of fucking awesome.”

He nods. “Papa  _ is _ pretty fantastic.”

“So you have nothing to worry about!” she exclaims, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “And maybe you’re worrying anyway, but there’s really no point in it. All you have to do now is go to sleep and then it’ll be tomorrow and you’ll be ready to face the new day.”

If Kristen was here, she probably would have hugged him but instead, it’s Fig so she wacks him lightly on the back of the head. “Get some sleep, Fabian. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And somehow, really against all odds, her advice  _ works _ . There really is no sense in worrying about tomorrow’s potential problem tonight so he’s able to fall asleep pretty easily, mind purged of what was ahead.

* * *

Fabian wakes up to a loud crashing sound. It has to be inside the living areas of the bottomless pit because, if the walls are thick enough to keep out enough of the endless screams of falling souls, if hardly seemed likely that he would hear much of anything from outside.

It only takes him a moment to realize that the noise is probably his father. There are a lot of piratey voices coming from the other room, along with a surprisingly excited Fig voice given that it’s probably only about 7:30 back in Solace.

He runs a finger through his hair nervously and throws on a fresh set of clothes and his Owlbears jacket before following the noise out to the kitchen area, where a horde of pirates are currently raiding Fig’s kitchen and making breakfast as she talks excitedly with his father.

“My darling boy!” his dad shouts as soon as he sees him.

Despite his nerves, Fabian can’t help but grin. “Papa!”

“Got your call, me boy,” he tells him. “I’d love to talk here but we have to get going, just have time to stop in for a quite bite then we’re off to Stygia. Lucky you’ve got your jacket!”

And then Fabian and Fig are being ushered onto the Goldenrod, much to the dragon-turned-ship’s displeasure. Many of the pirates that had died in their last fight have been reanimated with the exception of a few, and Fabian gets the feeling that maybe they were reanimated and died again somewhat recently.

Alistair is aboard and is much more amicable this time. He welcomes Fabian back and tells him all about what he’s missed in hell while he’s away. Fabian feels a twinge of guilt for having been the indirect cause of his death on Leviathan, but he somehow seems happier here in Hell, working directly with his father, so maybe things kind of worked out in a fucked up sort of way.

After catching up for a bit, Fabian finally gets a chance to approach his father and come out to him for real as terrifying as it is. Fig catches his eye and winks at him as he walks toward his dad as a bit of bardic inspiration. He sincerely hopes that he won’t need it.

“Papa, I called upon you for a reason,” he tells him. “Would it be alright if we talked for a bit.”

His father lets out his loud boisterous laugh. “Of course, my darling boy. No need to be so serious.”

“But the thing I want to talk to you about  _ is _ a bit serious,” he tells him.

“Serious?” he asks. “The only thing on the seas that’s serious is a bout of scurvy! You don’t have scurvy, do you?”

“I don’t have scurvy, Papa,” he replies. “I-”

His dad slaps him on the back. “Then it can’t be that serious!”

“I’m bisexual, Papa,” he tells him, all too quickly and, regretfully, without meeting his eyes. “And I’ve got a boyfriend. The Ball, actually. The Ball is my boyfriend.”

He guffaws again. “That’s your serious news?”

He shrugs and finally meets his father’s glowing eye. “I wasn’t sure if you’d think differently of me because of it. Like I’m less of a man.”

“You think I’ve never had men who fuck other men on my ship?” he asks, raising a thick black eyebrow. “Boy, I’m a  _ pirate _ .”

“I just didn’t know,” he says. “I mean, it’s different when it’s your son.”

A more serious expression crosses his father’s face as he sets a hand on Fabian’s shoulder. “You’re my darling boy and you’re a  _ man _ , Fabian. I don’t care if you want to fuck men-” he catches a glance of Fig over his shoulder, clearly remembering a conversation they’d had Fabian’s freshman year. “-or women. Or people in general, actually. People is more inclusive.” He pauses for a moment and then continues again. “Well, actually, now that I think about it, maybe people isn’t right either. The tornado had a wife once, Miranda. But, between you and me, I think she was just in it for the gold.”

He nodded in agreement. “She was a bit of a devilish woman.”

“That’s not an insult!” Fig calls from across the ship.

His father squeezes his shoulder. “The point is, I love you, my son, and whoever you love, I’m happy for it. I just hope The Ball can keep a man like you in check.”

He thinks back and maybe Riz did keep him in check and vice versa. Really all of the Bad Kids did, even if they were a bit of a chaotic mess at times. He wouldn’t even be here right now, with the courage to come out to his father, if it weren’t for Fig.

“I think we’ll manage,” he replies with a smile.

“Well, then that’s cause to celebrate,” he says before turning toward the rest of the ship. “Pull out the ale! My son’s got himself a boyfriend, he’s a real man now!”

The pirates cheer and start belowdecks for some ale when the devilish shapes of a group of tieflings materialize on the ship, snapping their fingers in unison.

“Not so fast,” Johnny Spells says in his sing-songy voice. “First, you kill me. Then, you steal my bike. And now you get to fuck anyone you’d like after I wasn’t allowed to fuck anyone? I don’t think so, daddy-o.”

‘What?!” he exclaims in response because, really,  _ that’s _ what he takes issue with? “You  _ chose  _ to make a warlock pact that barred you from having sex.”

“And my dad was right to do it, you creepy predator!” Fig shouts which is honestly a point of growth for her given her history with middle-aged men.

“My feud isn’t with you, lil’ mama,” he tells her, turning toward Fabian with a wicked grin.

“Absolutely,” Fabian replies, pulling out his sheet before yelling back to Fig. “You take the greasers. I believe in you!”

Johnny Spells is, well, he’s not as much of a foe as Fabian remembered him being. First of all, he can only cast like two spells. One doesn’t even hit him and the other he walks off relatively easily. And his combat skills certainly needed some work. Never ask to dance with somebody if you don’t have many moves of your own.

They fight for a bit but both Fabian’s skills and Fandrangor itself are far superior to Johnny and his shitty weapon. It was only a matter of minutes before Fabian was driving a sword through his heart and kicking him off the side of the ship.

He turns to help Fig with the rest of the greasers only to find her standing and watching him, not a scratch on her body.

“I knocked them off pretty much right away,” she tells him. “It seemed important for you to defeat Johnny Spells on your own, though. Here.”

She hits a chord on her bass and casts prayer of healing and Fabian feels renewed lifeforce course through his body.

“My darling boy,” his dad says with a smile, smacking him on the back. “How could I ever not be proud of a man like that? Now let’s get you back to the Pit. Your ma would have me other eye if I didn’t get you back in time for school tomorrow and I wouldn’t put it past her to crawl down to Hell to take it!”

Fabian wasn’t sure that was necessarily true of his Mama but Cathilda would be worried about him so close enough. He nodded. “Back to the Pit.”

His father reaches over and violently ruffles his hair. “I’m proud of you, my boy.”

Fabian smiles. “Thanks, Papa.”


End file.
